


Honeybee

by zhulymlieros



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-03-26 04:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3837193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhulymlieros/pseuds/zhulymlieros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cronus Ampora is a high school delinquent, who only cares about is own well being. His life solely consists of sex,drug and rock and roll. But everything changes the moment he meets Mituna Captor: A very peculiar high-school sophomore and a person he never expected to ever have such a big influence on his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pretty Wicked Things

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my baby. My very first fan fiction I have ever created with all my blood, sweat and tears. I have dedicated my heart and soul to this tale and filled it with as much passion and love I have for this parring as I could muster. I hope that those of you, who share my affection for these two characters find some enjoyment and pleasure in this story.  
> *Every chapter is titled after a song, which serve as inspiration for each individual chapter. Music plays a great role in Honeybee.  
> *This fanfic has already been written in advance, therefore those of you who want to know what happens next can visit this link https://www.fanfiction.net/~pinzzz

It was the first of September, as students of all ages were forced out of their summer afterglow to make their way towards the yellow school buses. The hot weather was lingering in the air making it all the more difficult for the vast majority of youngsters, who were still living in the days when they slept all day through the heat and partied all night in the cool summer breeze till the sun came up anew. Getting back into the everyday routine of doing homework, studying for exams and listening to the lectures of teachers was proven to be a task worth winning a gold medal when the day went by without falling into despair. For not everyone was merciful in the first weeks of September. While the teachers showed great disappointment through the scowls on their faces, the students were radiating with wide smiles and tan skin, exchanging their new experiences amongst fellow comrades, remembering the freedom and reliving it all over again.

In the small, suburban town stood a tall and lean male quite colossal in height with black hair slicked back with meticulous precision, yet it looked slightly disheveled on account of the thick, dark curls at the back of his head that refused to cooperate with the hair grease. His stunning, electric blue eyes stared off into the distance as his fingers fiddled with the cigarette he removed from his lips to exhale the smoke. His broad shoulders leaned against the red frame of the bus stop, kicking out his long legs in a comfortable, laid-back stance that crossed over each other. His blue jeans were distressed with several tears across his knees with hints of dirt and splotches of black paint on the cuffs. But it didn't seem like he cared if they were in clean condition or not. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the bus approaching from afar making him frown from displeasure and he carelessly flicked the cigarette butt on the grass while it was still ignited.

The large, yellow vehicle came to a screeching halt and with a loud creak opened the door in a sliding motion, which didn't sound too inviting. He was greeted by the bus driver's grimace, as he probably noticed the young man smoking and was expressing his disapproval. Frankly, the young man couldn't care less of his opinion and with his head held high he sauntered along the narrow aisle. The bus was quite packed to the brim; stuffed with sweaty and loud teenagers, who filled the silence with their laughter. The young man turned his attention towards a peculiar group of people his age, who were engrossed in an emotional conversation when they noticed his presence. A girl seated in the center of them all took note of him almost instantly and a playful grin took over her pink lips as she leaned forward to rest her thin arms on her knees and leaned her chin against her wrist. Her short, dark hair looked ragged and disorderly compared to the delicate, oval shape of her face. A single braid slipped onto her shoulder the moment she shifted her weight, where the other was twisted and turned in her fingers. Her indigo eyes were observing him closely and shone brightly expressing the thrill of his sudden appearance.

"Well, look who the cat dragged in.” she said, tossing an arm on the seat in front of her. “Decided not to ride your bike to school?"

The handsome fellow couldn't help but roll his eyes at the hint of sarcasm in her tone and leaned on the same seat.

"Good to see you too, Meenah." he replied with a wide grin and took a seat, when he heard the driver yell out his name from across the bus. "I didn't have a choice really, because somebody thought it would be a brilliant idea to jump off the fucking pier at the last beach party and now it’s at the repair shop."

That said he glanced over to the seat beside him where a boy with wild, dark curls was stretched out over both seats, arms folded and head hung low as if he were dozing. His hair was visibly thick and long, covering his face completely. He lazily lifted his head; jet black eyes clouded as if they were gazing at something beyond reality and raised his eyebrows in amusement, then giggled with delight in a low rumble like a child in an overgrown body.

"Cronus, dude, I said I was sorry. I paid for the repairs. Don’t hate on a brother, ‘cause he got a little drunk."

"You weren’t a little drunk, Kurloz." said the victim, emphasizing his words to make himself clear since his friend didn't seem like he was completely comprehending. "You were high and smashed; times two the damage. Don't make it sound like it's nothing. That motorcycle is my pride and joy."

A load groan erupted from Meenah's side of the bus. Another comrade, who seemed to be in a lesser mood than the rest of the group. The boy held a hand over his tanned face and sank deeper into the seat.

"Cronus, just shut the fuck up. He got it fixed; it'll be as good as new. Rejoice."

Meenah laughed and turned her attention towards the unhappy camper, who she was prepared to pester for her own entertainment.

"That's a bad hangover you got there, Rufioh. Even your ears are red." she mocked and playfully flicked one of his earlobes making him glare at her with the intensity of a thousand suns. But Meenah remained completely unfazed and continued to laugh and tease.

"No thanks to you. Having a party the day before the beginning of the school year is just genius."

The girl snorted and continued to play with the braid in her hand.

"It's not like I forced the alcohol down your throat. You were the first one to chug down the whole package of beer, making me go all the way into town to buy more."

Rufioh's amber eyes went wide with embarrassment and he huffed, flipping the bird before turning away so she wouldn't hurt his ego no more. His reaction simply made her even more pleased, as she soothingly ruffled his hair to infuriate him even more.

Shortly the bus arrived at its destination and the students pressed their noses against the windows to groan and complain from the torture that was about to come. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt and the folding doors of the bus swung open, the youngsters came bursting out of the interior in anticipation for their long awaited reunions with friends and loved ones. Couples were intertwined in each others arms and passionately kissing with no shame, girls squealing and rushing to hug each other, boys exchanging fist-bumps and pats on the backs and teachers greeting students with fake smiles and nods. On the sidewalk stood and petite girl with ravishing brown curls, that settled just below her shoulders. Her greens eyes were rapidly examining every face that passed by until she saw the person she was waiting for. Kurloz waved at her making her whole demeanor radiate happiness through the wide smile on her face. She took off running in his direction and leaped into his open arms, which lifted her effortlessly off the pavement as if she weighed nothing.

"Kurloz!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck in a suffocating grip.

"Meulin, my fierce, little feline."

Cronus happened to be following behind the couple and slouched his shoulders with a grimace witnessing the heartfelt reunion of the two lovers to the point it made him nauseous just to be close.

"If you two could be so kind as to save the make-outs for when I’m not here, that would be great."

Meulin was carefully placed on the ground and turned her attention towards the disgusted teenager, who was glaring daggers at the two of them. She gave him one of her toothy grins and held out her arms invitingly.

"Oh, sweetheart, you want a hug too, don't you?"

He smiled and grunted, looking up at the threatening boyfriend, who was sporting a grin but his eyes shown aggressively, expressing how possessive he felt of his girlfriend. With Kurloz always behind her looking like death with wide eyes and a spine-chilling grin resembling the Cheshire cat, no one even dared to look at her from afar.

"I would, doll. But not with your boyfriend hovering behind you; he might eat me."

"Wise choice, brother."

Meulin never took her boyfriend's threats seriously and playfully punched him in the arm thinking he was always joking around like the clown he was. Suddenly her face grew serious and she gestured for the two boys to come closer. She certainly overheard caught some fresh gossip and was prepared to share the newly acquired information on the spot.

"Have you guys heard the news? There’s going to be a new kid in our school!"

Cronus blinked not entirely comprehending her statement and shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"That happens every year, you know; freshman and all."

"That's not what I meant." she said glancing at Cronus with a mischievous look, pupils dilating with excitement. "Supposedly he’s mental and not right in the head. Why would a person like that even consider going to public school. Aren't they home-schooled or something?"

Cronus snorted, absolutely amused by the possibility of a psychopath roaming the halls. That would make school life a hundred times more interesting.

"He's so screwed." he said trying the muffle his laughter as Kurloz was doing the same. The idea seemed so highly improbable that it was hard to imagine.

"Maybe he will be nice!" she beamed, for meeting new people was a hobby of hers, especially what society considered special people.

"Maybe he will, but that won't stop the other guys for picking on him for being a freak."

With sudden realization, Meulin's expression went dim and she frowned hunching her shoulders.

"That's right! Oh, what a shame!"

Before the conversation could carry on the bell announced the beginning of the year assembly and everyone hurried into the school. The presentation didn't last long, thankfully. It was the typical stuff like what will be happening this year, new rules and regulations that might have changed, encouraging the new students to do their best and for the seniors not to screw up their exams. After the dull and boring gathering came to a close, the students were rushed into the classrooms leaving no time to stop and chat, for everyone just wanted to get their schedules and go home. Cronus entered the classroom and immediately walked to the back of the class to sit in the final seat by the window before anyone could beat him to it. The last thing he wanted was to be the main focus of his homeroom teacher and for all his frustrations to be loaded onto him. Once everyone was seated a familiar face nonchalantly walked into the room as if she already owned the place, turning heads as she strode down the aisle with her head held high to take the seat beside Cronus.

"Well I’ll be damned." he said leaning back in his chair. "Fancy seeing you here, Peixes."

She huffed pushing up her glasses and playing with a braid and her sly smirk never fading.

"Somebody’s got to keep an eye on you."

Suddenly the teacher entered the classroom and everyone ceased their conversations. His strong presence gave off a feeling of intimidation and rage, which all of the students sensed from the moment he opened the door. Before sauntering over to his desk, he stopped to glare at each and every row making sure all eyes were on him. With slow, elongated steps he walked over and brutally dropped his binders and folders on the wooden surface with a loud thud, making those the closest wince with fear. Disregarding the mess that was now on the desk, he folded his hand behind his back and smiled in a grotesque way; tired, golden eyes roamed the classroom once again to make the students feel like animals in cage.

"I hope you all enjoyed your summer." he spoke calmly. "Cause starting this semester you’ll be working like dogs."

Without another word, he passed around the class a sheet containing everyone’s timetable, making sure to avoid eye and physical contact. God forbid you touched him with his consent. Afterwards, he spent the rest of the hour speaking about text books, after school classes, responsibilities and how much of a failure everyone was and would be lucky enough to get a job as a school janitor after they were done with collage. Once the bell rang, everyone ran out of the classroom not even checking twice if the teacher finished his monologue. Cronus was casually shuffling close behind Meenah, when the teacher called his name and gestured for him to approach his desk. With a groan he stood in front of the man; both scowling at each other. Once the room was empty, he spoke.

"Ampora, just so you know. Now that you're in senior year and all the punishments will be harsher. Just to give you a heads up." he said threateningly, yet with a sweet smile.

"Good to know, Mr. Hussie."

The exchange of words was brief and entirely unnecessary, but the two shared a long history of hatred and loathing and it became a sort of tradition to shake each other up with venomous words and menacing glares.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone hate your guts as much as that guy." said Meenah, always entertained by everything belligerent.

Cronus sighed deeply as he tossed an arm around her neck to rest on her shoulders. She was short enough to act as an armrest thanks to his height.

"Ever since I did a wicked paint job on that old car of his in freshman year and never got punished ‘cause he had no evidence, he hated my guts more than his own job. What can I say? He didn't appreciate the fact that I did him a favor."

"Aren't you generous.” she purred. "But that was quite naughty of you."

Cronus smirked, turning to press her against the lockers as she looked up at him raising an eyebrow and crossed her arms in anticipation of his next move.

"I thought you liked naughty boys?"

She chuckled, tossing a braid behind her shoulder and batted her long eyelashes.

"I never said I didn't. But I have to admit; sometimes even you need to be put in your place."

He cocked an eyebrow, enjoying the little game they're playing with his everlasting charming smile.

"Oh?" he laughed. "Are you implying that I need to be tamed?"

He was hunched over her; his large body engulfing her. Chewing on her lower lip, Meenah grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him towards her lips till they were brushing against each other.

"You could use a firm hand once in a while."

Cronus took that as an invitation and closed in on her, roughly tugging on her lower lip so she could spread her lips apart for a more passionate kiss. A hand ventured up his chest and into the curls on his neck to tug them harshly and scrape her long nails along his scalp, then down his back. Cronus shamelessly dipped his hand into her shirt, lifting the pink blouse ever so slightly to rub his fingers against her ribs. Before they could completely loose themselves into the intimacy a loud scoff was heard behind them, making them cease their actions, roll their eyes and groan in unison. They both turned to face the person, who happened to be a flared up ginger with cobalt blue eyes wide, cheeks red and hands angrily placed on her hips.

"I'm sorry for interrupting!" she barked, her apology not one bit sincere. "But you were supposed to meet me at the library exactly after the bell rang!"

Cronus scowled with displeasure and tightened his grip on Meenah.

"You need to chill, Serket. Go get laid; might loosen you up a bit."

The girl turned so many different shades of red, trembling with anger that her white glasses almost slid off her small nose. She shot up a finger and wagged it threateningly in his face.

"You are a horrible influence on Meenah. I'm here to make sure she doesn't become as disgusting as you!"

Meenah winced and slipped out of Cronus's grasp before the argument could turn into a fist fight on the ginger's behalf.

"Sorry, Aranea. I'll make it up to you."

Said Aranea, turned on her heel and stomped away with Meenah following close behind. She turned to wiggle her fingers and wink in his direction before disappearing around the corner. But it still left Cronus feeling completely furious. And here he was hoping to get some once they left school and there's nothing worse than her best friend, Aranea: The cock-block. He slammed his locker door shut with more strength than necessary and turned towards the exit. His hands were itching to pull out a cigarette from his pocket and for a split second he looked down to inch one out from the package when he suddenly collided against what felt like a metal pole, that slammed into his abdomen punching the breath out of his lungs. Thank God, he was tall or else that would have left his nose bloody. Hunched over clutching his chest and managed to catch his balance just in time. With clenched teeth and a passionate rage, that rekindled his wildfire he squinted at the perpetrator prepared to release hell. “Watch where you're going, asshole!” The culprit was sprawled out on the ground like a doll, which fell from a high shelf. Obviously he was a short fella, or else the impact wouldn't have been so harsh. His legs twitched and he groaned coughing several times, but other than that he didn't seem to be getting up from the floor. Cronus had the feeling something was off with this guy. Finally, after a few long seconds he slowly lifted his limp body off the hard floor and with slumped shoulders slightly swayed side to side. His hair looked almost as curly and disheveled as Kurloz’s, only shorter and a lot cleaner. A handful of dark freckles were almost completely covering his face, sparing the chin and maybe the forehead, which was invisible under the dark mop of hair. His yellow hooded jacket was halfway unzipped and sliding off his shoulder, probably due to the impact. Yet the moment he looked up, Cronus could have sworn his breath hitched in his throat. Anyone would agree that his eyes were absolutely captivating. They were touched with Heterochromia, something Cronus had never seen up close before and he couldn't look away for the life of him. The stranger’s right eye was a stunning shade of steel gray, where the other a deep, russet color with an abnormally enlarged pupil. Yet the two together made such an astonishing contrast, that certainly any girl would feel weak in the knees if he ever looked their way. Another peculiar thing was the distinct and numerous scars, where the most visible one was on his lower lip and across his left eye. The boy cocked his head slightly and seemed to be as puzzled with the greaser’s appearance as Cronus was with his, blinking several times and turned his head towards the loud voice from down the hall.

"Mituna!"

From around the corner approached a girl with chocolate brown hair coming down to her shoulders and slightly curling at the ends. She removed the red sunglasses from her face and placed them at the top of her head revealing the concerned aqua eyes from behind the lenses. Cronus had to admit that she was a beauty. If only she wasn't dressed like a guy. Her trembling hands rested on the boy's cheeks as she looked to see if he wasn't injured anywhere.

"Baby, are you alright?" she cooed. "You shouldn't run so fast, you could have hurt yourself and we can't have that."

Mituna smiled slightly, revealing two dimples on his cheeks adding to his charming features.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore."

Suddenly the mystery girl turned towards Cronus, as she just reminded herself that there was another party involved. She furrowed her eyebrows and wrinkled her nose in an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive him. He refuses to pay attention to his surroundings and doesn't know any better."

Cronus stared at her slightly confused. Why was she apologizing for that douche? It was his fault in the first place! He looked about Cronus's age or maybe a year younger, which nonetheless practically made him an adult. He should be the one asking for forgiveness, not her. Cronus stood up, straightening his back and smiled awkwardly.

"Its fine, I guess."

The girl went back to checking if Mituna didn't injure himself, lifting his arms and pressing on his legs, then she lifted a hand to ask how many fingers she was holding up. Jesus, all he did was fall a few centimeters to the floor, not from a damn mountain. Cronus was beginning to feel extremely awkward watching her treat and speak to him as if he was a child. Who was this guy? Some retard or something? Like a switch, Mituna sharply turned his head towards Cronus and had the most rabid look on his face, which could compare with Aranea. The sudden change of nature left Cronus speechless and all he could muster was a frown in return.

"Screw you, I'll do whatever I want, douche-bag!"

Cronus was completely taken aback by the bizarre behavior. Just a second ago he looked like he was going to pass out and now steam was practically rising from his head. But Cronus refused to let himself be pushed around by some freak and gathered up his pride to spit back at him with equal fury.

"You watch yourself, buddy. You bumped into me. Now apologize so we can put this behind us."

It seemed like no matter what Cronus said, none of the words were being registered in the guy’s brain and before he knew it, Mituna was on his feet flipping the bird in his face.

"How about fuck you, buddy." he mocked.

The girl, who was calming him the whole time turned red from embarrassment and stood between the two boys, rubbing her hands on Mituna’s arms trying to sooth him with sweet words and gestures.

"Mituna, it was an accident. Nobody is at fault. It just happened, baby. I'm sorry."

Just like before, his expression changed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly his lip was quivering and he almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. Before he could humiliate himself, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"It always has to be me, doesn't it." he whispered and sauntered off down the hall, glaring one last time at Cronus then disappeared out of his field of vision. That was a wild ride. The aqua-eyed beauty hunched her shoulders and groaned, bringing a hand up to massage her temples in frustration. It wasn't just Mituna that wanted to cry. Cronus cleared his throat to capture her attention as her eyes went wide; completely forgetting he was still there. He slowly approached her with a comforting smile.

"You ok there? What’s your name?"

"Oh! Latula Pyrope." she exclaimed and held out her hand, then stuffed her hands in its large pockets. "I'm sorry you had to see that. He's a bit of a handful. It's not easy indulging in his mood swings."

Cronus nodded, pretending to be understanding but didn't quite care very much about Mituna and was concentrating more on getting her number.

"I'll bet. You go to school here?"

Her eyes lit up at the question. "Yeah, just transferred here from up North. It's for Mituna really. He was supposed to go to a private school, but he refuses to be separated from me so we ended up coming here together."

Cronus frowned internally. God, is there anything else she can talk about besides that asshole? He decided to play along, show some interest and hopefully earn her digits in return.

"He's your brother or something?"

Latula's face went glum and she smiled sadly and shyly at the question, fiddling with her hands in her pockets.

"He's actually my boyfriend."

Fuck. Well, this sucked big time. Cronus was beginning to feel humiliated by just standing in her presence. How in the world would a cute girl like her end up with a basket case like Mituna?! Just thinking about them together was making him sick. She was sick. There were so many good guys out there and she chose the one that had to be scolded for running in the hallway. She wasn’t his girlfriend; more like a fucking parent. Oh, how he pitied her. Latula seemed eager to continue talking, smiling encouragingly, but Cronus was already turned off to the point he would rather forget he ever met her in the first place. He looked down at his wrist, pretending there was a watch on his wrist and sighed.

"Oh, would you look at the time, I have to go. See you later!"

That said, he turned on his heel and shamelessly walked in the opposite direction, completely disregarding her quiet goodbye and left the school. Boy, that was embarrassing! The moment he was out in the parking lot walking towards the bus stop he pulled out his phone to immediately text Meulin about the unfortunate disaster that came upon him.

 _I think I met the new kid. You're right, he's a fucking freak_.

Moments later, she replied with a load of emoticons, which was her characteristic style of texting.

_How's he like?! Tell me everything!_

_I'll say this much: I have never, ever met anyone so messed up in my life. He won't last a year. You might just meet him with his head down the toilet in the girl's bathroom._

_Oh! How terrible! I hope he'll be able to get along with everyone!_

_I doubt that._

By the time Cronus answered her text the old, run down bus arrived on time for the first time ever and he held his breath before entering the filthy fossil. Public buses are disgusting. He spent the rest of the ride mindlessly staring out the window, allowing his thoughts to wonder towards the awkward boy he had met. It seemed he had left an odd impression on him, since he was still thinking about him. It was bizarre. How in the world could someone end up like that? By the look of his scars and wild behavior, he had to experience some serious trauma or maybe he was just born that way? And how had he scored such a cute girl as his girlfriend? He didn't look a bit intelligent or interesting, besides his looks. It's not like they could have deep, philosophical conversations about life, or anything for that matter. Unless Latula was dumb or felt sorry for the freak, but that would also make her dumb. He felt disgusted just thinking about them doing stuff that couples did and cringed at the idea. Like kissing or sex. Mituna looked like the kind of person, that wouldn't be able to tell the difference between his ass from his elbow, let alone how to please a woman. Cronus shuttered, feeling unclean and wanted to bathe his brain in bleach for going so far with his imagination. Disgusting. Both of them.

After the long and tedious ride not only he indulged in the terrible smell and needed to brace himself every time the bus hit a bump (for it could collapse at any moment) but he also had to walk half an hour to his house. Public transportation can go to hell. Feeling completely exhausted from being on his feet all day he carelessly tossed his shoes to the side and threw his jacket on the hanger letting it fall to the floor on top of the footwear. It was still too warm to be wearing leather and the inside of the jacket was drenched in his sweat. It seemed nobody was home. The silence was almost deafening, but it was calm and peaceful. Thankfully, his father never came home and spent his days in his office or in an apartment he rented in the city. He traveled a lot, but Cronus didn't care if he was ever home anyway. He simply dropped his responsibilities as a father as soon as Cronus entered high school making his job his main priority. He loved his money more than his flesh and blood. Whatever, Cronus didn't care. He could die and Cronus wouldn't mourn his death. In fact, he would be grateful.

Cronus entered the kitchen and snooped around the cupboards to find anything good to cook. Since it was always him and his younger brother Eridan, who was just a little kid, he had to teach himself how to cook to keep them fed and luckily he was pretty good. But they seemed to be low on everything and wasn't sure what to do. He felt a slight tug on his shirt and looked down to see a little boy with wild, blond curls as disheveled as his own. Frankly, the child seemed to be the spitting image of Cronus himself. His blue eyes looked up at him pleadingly and he gave another tug. He looked quite exhausted, probably had to take a nap on an empty stomach.

"I'm hungry."

Cronus frowned and looked into the fridge and the cupboards again, but there was nothing suitable. He turned to his little brother and smiled.

"How about we order some pizza. What about that, chief?"

Eridan's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as Cronus mentioned his favorite food. He thrust his fists in the air and yelled excitedly.

"Really?! We can get pizza?!" he cheered.

It didn't take long for their meal to arrive and while the big brother counted the money in his hands, Eridan smiled widely at the pizza man, who looked down at him with a shy grin. The little boy started looking like a hungry wolf as he stared at the box hungrily awaiting his meal, until Cronus took hold of the food and they went to the kitchen. The intense smell of cheese filled the air making the child rush ahead into his chair and gasp when the lid was lifted. It was packed with a large a variety of cheeses and it glowed under the kitchen lamp showing off its greasy goodness.

"Is it good?" asked Cronus, receiving an eager grin from his brother, who had already attacked his first slice.

Nothing made him feel better, than knowing his kid brother was happy and content. He was a little bundle of sunshine with a smile always plastered on his face. Everyone liked him, because he never gave anyone a reason not to. Eridan always seemed to have a kind and gentle soul since he was a baby. Even without the presence of a mother in his life, who he didn't get the slightest chance to met or be held in her arms to look into her eyes and seal her into his memory. It happened the day he was born. The exact moment after delivering the child for what felt like endless hours. Her body and health was always fray, so her heart cut short from the pain and exhilaration. Nonetheless, she died with a smile on her face for she loved him dearly. Cronus remembered how she used to go for walks on the beach. Her hands would mindlessly caress her swollen belly and she'd hum and whisper sweet words of love to her unborn son. With age, Cronus began to notice how much Eridan resembled his mother and for a time despised him. His eyes were the same shade of blue and they shared the same curly blonde hair. Every freckle on his cheeks was a duplication of hers. Their mannerisms were identical as well and he seemed to inherit her artistic abilities. He was like her in so many ways, that it pained Cronus to even look at him. But with time he accepted his little brother's love for he knew he had no one else and shouldn't be blamed for their mother's sudden passing. The only person that never grew to love him back was their father. He treated him like he wasn't there, ignoring his pleas, never taking notice of his presence and even dismissed Eridan's trials to gain his affection. The man was filled with too much anger to ever let go of the past. Therefore, Cronus took it upon himself to be the caretaker Eridan needed. A brother and a father combined. Until the day Cronus graduates from high school, they can leave their father for good. They finished their meal in silence. Eridan from time to time filled the air with his lively chatter on how his day was and what he learned in school. Thankfully, he loved attending his classes and discovering new things so homework was never an issue.

Once the kitchen was spotless, Cronus made sure to see Eridan off into bed. Tucked under the covers, he kissed him goodnight when Eridan reached out to grab his shirt.

"Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

A story? He hadn't asked for one in ages and Cronus's mind was pretty rusty when it came to such things. Good or bad, Eridan loved his stories regardless. He sighed and sat down on the bed thinking where to start.

"Any requests?"

"Make me a prince!"

He wrapped his arms around a stuffed seahorse and hid his nose in its majestic mane when Cronus began.

"Once upon a time, there was a prince named Eridan. He was a strong and powerful wizard with a vast army of seahorses, who helped him rule over his underwater kingdom. During one of his adventures, he stumbled upon a beautiful princess named Feferi."

Eridan giggled at the ridiculous name and was enjoying it so far. Cronus wasn’t gifted with a large imagination like his brother, but was grateful that his brother was easily amused.

"From the moment they met, they knew they were meant for each other. Feferi was the princess of cuttlefish and the deep, dark depths of the ocean. They instantly became the best of friends and always stayed together. One day, while Feferi was collecting flowers on the earth surface,"

Cronus suddenly stood up and in unison with his story snatched a stuffed animal from Eridan’s bed.

"She was suddenly kidnapped by a huge white monster with red and blue eyes! Prince Eridan was furious and came to the surface to infiltrate the monster’s cave. He heard the princess’s cries and pulled out his mighty sword."

He noticed one of Eridan’s plastic samurai swords on the floor and grabbed to swing it around to add to the excitement. "To prince Eridan’s surprise, she was being tortured in the most inhumane way possible: the tickle treatment." Eridan eyes were wide with shock and he grasped onto his seahorse for dear life. "The monster wasn’t looking; he approached him from behind and did the unimaginable." On cue, Cronus dropped the sword and spread out his arms. "He embraced the monster and engulfed it in his powerful magic of love and compassion. The monster was surprised and couldn’t say a word. Then, prince Eridan said: It’s ok, monster. You don’t need to say anything, because I know. I know you’re lonely and sad; people are afraid of you because of how you look and don’t want to be your friend. But you are no longer alone, because I’m your friend now. The monster was so happy, that he let the princess go and hugged the prince, saying: Thank you. I’ve always wanted a friend. You made my dream come true."

Eridan smiled happily and wiped a tear from his cheek, deeply touched by the beautiful story.

"All three of them became close and inseparable friends and lived happily ever after. The end."

Cronus smiled triumphantly seeing as his little brother clapped and demanded an encore. But the tears kept leaking from his eyes. He looked up at his brother and with a heartfelt smile, said: "That’s the best story you’ve ever told me."

And with those few words, Cronus felt his heart skip a beat. He knelt beside his bed and lifted him into his arms. No one ever made him feel so needed and genuinely loved like his brother did. In all honesty, he would be dead in a ditch if it wasn’t for this little boy his mother sacrificed her life for. Eridan kept him leveled and reminded him not to be so reckless, for if he left he would be all alone in the world with no one to care for him. Eridan giggled and wrapped his arms around his brother as best as he could.

"Love you, Cro." he whispered sleepily.

Cronus smiled and kissed the boy on the top of his fluffy head. "Love you too, chief."

Before the child completely drifted off to sleep, Cronus tucked him back into bed, kissed him goodnight and closed the bedroom door behind him. He threw himself onto his own bed and glanced at the picture of his mother on his bedside table. She smiling widely, trying to brush off the runaway hairs from her face while looking down at a small child in her lap, who was staring back her captivated by her beauty. It was taken on the beach. It was almost always windy, but nonetheless it was her favorite place to be. They were playing on the beach that day and he had a blue balloon in his hands, when the wind stole it away from his grasp and flew off into the sky. At that moment all he wanted to do was cry. The idea of the balloon disappearing into the unknown abyss and parting with him forever filled him with sorrow. Which was why his mother started laughing at his reaction and looked down at him to say something he couldn’t remember. He closed his eyes and sighed into his pillow that had a distinct smell of the ocean. Or was it lavender? Oh, wait. _If you dream hard enough, it will come back to you_ , that’s what she said. And she was right; the next morning he woke up, it was floating in his room, right by the window.


	2. As The Rush Comes

It was 5 am when Cronus woke up. He wasn’t blessed with enough sleep last night. Too many thoughts and memories left his mind restless and unable to rest. He quietly shuffled out of his room and started preparing himself for school, since he didn’t do that the day before. He went into the kitchen and noticed a few unread messages on his phone. One was from his father. Cronus frowned and opened the message box.

I won’t be coming home tonight.

He never really understood why his father ever felt the need to tell him he wouldn’t be home when first off; the man was never there in the first place. There were a few, very rare occasions when he had to drive Eridan to the hospital, courtesy of the flu and angina. But ever since Cronus got into high school and got a drivers license, it’s like his father had officially removed himself from their life and simply decided to be gracious enough to at least support them financially. But even so, Cronus is still haunted by the days when they didn’t receive any money from him for weeks on end when he went overseas on business trips. Cronus had to work before and after school every day at the local 7/11 just to keep food on the table. Thankfully, those days were far behind him now, but he remains cautious enough to always keep some money tucked away from working as a freelance mechanic.

Cronus quickly deleted the message and proceeded to open the following one, which obviously enough was from Kurloz.

Hey brother, you’re bike is fixed. You can stop by tomorrow morning to pick it up. The garage will be open.

Cronus sighed heavily letting out air from his lungs that he wasn’t aware he was holding in the first place. It was like a colossal weight had been lifted off his shoulders and just thinking about being reunited with his beloved vehicle made him grin from ear to ear. He raced to the bathroom to take a quick shower and grab whatever clean clothes he had in his closet. Nothing like the simple combination of a t-shirt and ripped up denim with a black, leather jacket. He went downstairs to prepare breakfast for himself and at the same time prepare lunch for him and his brother for school. The moment he managed to finish his cereal, he heard a knock at the door. Cronus didn’t have to think twice about who it could have been. It was of course, the nanny. He went up to the door and reveled a short-haired blond with a cheerful smile, dressed in a preppy, blue dress that very much resembled the fashion of a 50’s housewife. It certainly suited her features very well, adding a certain charm to her round silhouette.

“Good morning. Am I too early?” she asked in an uppity tone.

“On the contrary, I was just about to head out.”

The woman entered the house and removed her lightweight button top and shoes. Exiting the entryway, she paused to glance at the stairs that led up to Eridan’s room.  
“Is he still sleeping?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“Like a log as usual.” he chuckled. “Preschool starts at 10, so no need to be in a hurry. I already made his lunch.”

The women’s bright smile reignited and she reached out an arm to pat his back.  
“You are the sweetest brother I’ve ever met. I’m sure he will grow up to appreciate your efforts when he’s your age.”

Ms. Paint is the only babysitter, who had been with them for longer than a year. All of the other ladies always felt intimidated by Cronus’ father, since he’d engage every woman in sight and never acted like a gentleman in their presence. He was a very materialistic man, who treated people contemptuously and valued money over his flesh and blood.

Cronus tossed his backpack on his shoulder and walked towards the bus stop to hitch a ride to Kurloz’ side of town. He didn’t live too far, but it would take some time out of his day to get there with his slow pace. Once he arrived at the Makara residence, he approached the large garage door and without hesitation he invited himself inside. Usually, no one was ever home. Kurloz’ parents never really seem to be around much, so it’s always just him and his younger brother, Gamzee. It’s not like they are neglected, for that would be an insult to the hardworking couple, who call themselves their parents. They simply need to work more hours than regular people in order to keep a roof over their heads and food in the pantry. But besides that fact, it’s hard to tell what kind of people they are. Kurloz never talks about his parents or his brother for that matter. He makes it seem like he exists solely for Meulin and no one else.

The moment Cronus entered the garage, he needed to pass by the clutter of motorcycle parts and equipment in order to lay his eyes on his beloved motorbike, which was shielded from the dust thanks to a beige blanket. He tore away the cloth and his eyes beamed at the sight of his treasure. The Harley Davidson gleamed once touched by the sunlight, shining brighter than it ever had. The clean, leather interior freshly pasted and deep black cylinders filled Cronus with a feeling of nostalgia and serenity and he feel in love with his piece of art all over again. He pulled the bike out on the driveway and slipped on his glossy, black helmet and thanks to his friend it felt almost brand new. The feeling of having such an amazing machine in his hands had him enthralled as if he were sitting on it for the first time. Eager to get on the road, he urged the monstrous vehicle into motion and faintly trembled when the engine let out a powerful roar. If Cronus wanted to be poetic, he would say that motorcycles were his first love.

He remembers the days when his father would charge down the highway riding a vintage motorcycle from his vast collection. Back then, his mother was still alive and they were a big happy family. Many times he begged his father to allow him to own his own bike until one day he was surprised to find his very own Harley in their spacious garage on his thirteenth birthday. He wasn’t allowed to ride it, which disappointed him greatly, but he was given permission to spend time with it anytime he wanted until he became old enough to ride it. Of course, the elder Ampora had promised his son to teach him how to handle such a gift, yet no one had seen his mother’s death coming. After her passing, Cronus couldn’t count on his father and taught himself everything he needed to know.

It was a short ride from Kurloz’ house and in no time he had arrived at the school. He pulled into the parking lot and allowed himself to shamelessly park in one of the spaces closest to the entrance that was most likely reserved for a teacher. Pulling off his helmet, he entered the school proud as a peacock and tossed the bulky object into his locker. He took out all of his textbooks and locked the door revealing Meenah silently lurking behind it.

“Hey there, chief.” she mocked.

No matter what the time of day was or how pissed he’d feel, Meenah was always a sight for sore eyes. He grinned widely from ear to ear and graciously leaned down to kiss the girl on her forehead.  
“Good to see you too, doll. What’s the first class? I need to make sure I got the right book.” he said, wrapping his hand around her waist.

“Biology.” she answered indifferently.

Cronus hissed.  
“Oh great, my least favorite subject. I was never really good at biology.”

Meenah snickered and poked his ribs.  
“Don’t be so modest. You’re practically an expert of the human anatomy and I can vouch for that.”

Cronus laughed and placed a firm hand on the top of her head to aggressively ruffle her short curls. Meenah cried out in protest, regardless of being one of the very few who actually enjoyed being teased in such a manner.

“You and your dirty mouth.”

“But you love it.” she said grabbing a handful of his shirt to pull his weight against her small frame.

“I do.” he replied and quickly latched onto her tongue, that she momentarily exposed to provoke him further.

Before their little game could progress, they heard an impatient scoff from behind.  
“Can you guys be any weirder?”

The couple glanced at the person trying to communicate with them and without a doubt; the unimpressed, monotone voice belonged to Rufioh. Yet, there was another person by his side and Cronus couldn’t help but unabashedly stare at the foreign vision. She was absolutely gorgeous; lustrous black hair flowed from her head past her shoulders in a waterfall of ebony ink with thick eyelashes hovering over her downcast, umber irises. Her lips were coated with a deep shade of red and cheeks a soft cherry color, that made her face look flush and youthful. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, as her dark eyes glanced from Meenah to linger Cronus, who blatantly measured her from top to bottom as he would usually do when checking out the opposite sex.

“Rough morning, buddy?”

“That and watching you two make out in the middle of the hall like the barbarians you are.” Rufioh said quickly and entered the classroom.

“Damn, Damara. He really needs to get laid.” sighed Meenah.

Said Damara shrugged and walked away to enter the classroom across the hall. Once Cronus and Meenah took their seats, the teacher entered the classroom and began the lecture.

Half of the day was spent studying useless things you’ll never need in life and Cronus wasted most of his time doodling in his half empty notebooks or making paper airplanes to aggravate the teachers and have someone take the blame for his pranks. When the bell rang for lunch, everyone including the teachers raced to the lunchroom to be as far away from each other as possible. Cronus slowly walked towards the lunchroom, not in the least bit of a hurry for he never dares to buy any so called “lunch” at his school. Not only is the food practically inedible, but he got sick of finding hair and other things that aren’t meant to be consumed by people in every mystery meat stew or sandwich. The entire room was packed with teenagers scrunched together by the food line like sardines in a can and the rest were seated by the circular grey tables that very much resemble those that could be seen in prison. Cronus made his way to the table, where all of his friends were huddled around and currently seemed to be having an intense conversation. A girl with various, gold piercings on her face and onyx black curls was the first to notice Cronus approach the group and turned her full attention on him. She puckered her full lips and tossed a handful of hair behind her shoulder.

“I see you got your bike back.”

“Yes and I’m never borrowing it to anyone ever again for as long as I live.”

Upon his sudden arrival, Meulin almost shot out of her seat and threw her upper body on the table in an attempt to somehow move closer towards him.  
“You got any more info on the new kid? Tell me what he was like and in detail.”

“What new kid?” asked Porrim, taking a mouthful of her salad.

Cronus groaned and leaned his hand on his forehead. He should’ve known he wouldn’t be eating his lunch in peace. Not with Meulin around for that matter. He reached a hand into the paper bag he brought his lunch in and pulled out his food.

“There’s this new guy in sophomore year, who’s really mental and I had the displeasure of meeting him yesterday.”

“Shit, what happened?” asked Porrim.

“Does he look weird?” interrupted Meulin with an exaggerated expression.

Just thinking about the incident made Cronus’ stomach turn. It was honestly one of the most awkward situations in his life and he would rather not want to be reminded of it, but being friends with people who thrived off of gossip wouldn’t allow him to experience that pleasure any time soon.

“We bumped into each other and he made a really big deal out of it. I told him to chill and he seemed fine at first, but then it’s like he got possessed or something and was ready to punch my lights out.”

He wouldn’t even dare mentioning the girlfriend. They don’t have to know about her and besides, they asked about him exclusively.  
“He kind of sounds bipolar, that’s so interesting.” said Meulin with a dreamy look on her face.

Meulin may seem like a sweet looking individual, but she’s really gruesome with a twisted sense of humor and an abnormal adoration for all things sick and deranged.  
Suddenly the beauty from first period appeared right next to Cronus and she leaned over to rest her arms on the table, inviting herself into the conversation. She had a keen sense for all things interesting and new.

“Who’s bipolar?” she asked so innocently, it almost looked convincing.

Porrim narrowed her eyes at the Asian girl.  
“Getting in on the gossip I see.” she smiled.

Damara shrugged as a reply and turned her attention towards Meulin, who was just about ready to tell her everything.  
“Who are you talking about?”

“There’s this new second year, who’s possibly insane.”

Damara quickly caught on and smiled widely, showing that in fact she knew exactly who they were talking about.  
“You must be talking about Mituna Captor.”

Cronus couldn’t help but suddenly feel how dry his throat had become and with difficulty swallowed. Normally you should take information from people with a grain of salt, but Damara was no fool. She’s not the type of person to go around spreading false rumors. What she was saying was true and everyone knew better than to second guess her intel. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable just hearing that name alone and noticed how his appetite had vanished.

“I go way back with his girlfriend.” she added, making it even worse and Cronus couldn’t help but smack his forehead in an immediate response.

Meulin gasped theatrically and Porrim grimaced, disgusted for she also stopped eating her food.

“His girlfriend? He has a girlfriend?” Meulin exclaimed. “I must meet her. I have so many questions!”

Visibly pleased by their reactions, Damara continued to spill more information for the thirsty vultures.

“Her name is Latula Pyrope. She’s not only his girlfriend, but his caretaker. They were together way before his accident and because it was her fault she still feels guilty about it and decided to punish herself by staying with him.”

Cronus felt vaguely disturbed by Damara’s words. Normally he just ignores the gossip and doesn’t really care much about other people’s problems, but he felt like what Damara was revealing was wrong on so many levels. It was very typical of her to do so, but that’s no excuse. She may be extremely beautiful, but she was very much ugly on the inside and Cronus was reminded of that once again.

Meulin frowned, always over exaggerating her reactions, which was beginning to personally drive Cronus insane.  
“That sounds horrible. I can’t possibly imagine myself in their shoes.”

“It truly is tragic.” said Damara. “She feels so guilty; she’s probably going to be with him for the rest of her life.”

Cronus felt the gossip was officially starting to get out of hand. They were trashing someone they had no right to judge or belittle, no matter how ridiculous their decisions might seem. Now, Cronus was no saint, but he wasn’t a two-faced liar. He would rather say the cold, hard truth straight to your face, than talk shit behind somebody’s back. But speaking so harshly about a person that supposedly was your friend and confided in you, hoping they could trust you, now that was just something he despised the most. The girls never even noticed him walk out the door into the fields behind the school.

Cronus stood for a moment by the door to breath in some fresh air and brush off his frustrations. There was no reason for him to get so worked up about something that didn’t concern him anyways, nor was he necessarily fond of Latula and Mituna to go defending them in front of his friends and other people that might hear. It’s just none of his business, end of story.

Without noticing he was doing so, he exhaled the breath he seemed to be holding in and felt like it was time for a well deserved cigarette break. As unfortunate as it was, nicotine had a therapeutic affect on him and every time he didn’t feel like himself, he’d take a nice, long drag to blow the troubles away. He sneaked off from the entrance to sit by his favorite spot, which was concealed behind a thick row of bushes. It wasn’t as secluded as he would like, for it would be easy for teacher to walk in from the other side. Crossing in from the bushes, there was green grass and the school fence guarded by a thick row of bushes and trees. But if you tried hard enough to look past the leaves, you could notice a person in the little corner if they were standing upright. Cronus brushed the leaves and twigs off his jeans and made himself comfortable under the only tree that managed to grow inside the circle. It was a nice place, which thankfully not a lot of people knew about. He stumbled upon it when he was looking for a place to smoke and not get caught. The weather was nice and warm. The only problem was the occasional gust of wind, which kept threatening to blow his cigarette into the bushes. He was beginning to feel peaceful until he heard an uncomfortable, rustling sound. At first it was quiet, but gradually began increasing in volume. Cronus felt his heart thumping in his chest and was struggling to decide on what precautions to take. If it was a teacher and they catch him holding a cigarette, he will be expelled for sure. But he was just as much at risk with or without the smoke. However, before he could react a head popped out of the thick brush and Cronus heard himself gasp. It certainly wasn’t someone he would have expected. Out of the hole in fence appeared none other than Mituna Captor, who was just as surprised to see Cronus as much as the other guy. He was relieved it wasn’t a teacher; he would choose a psycho over a supervisor any day, but wasn’t sure on how to react or what to do in the presence of such a person. Mituna didn’t seem to show any signs of hostility or that he was leaving for that matter. He blinked a few times at the confused boy and proceeded to walk out of the ripped fence. Cronus was starting to wonder what he was planning, when Mituna bent over to grab what looked like a black snapback. How did that get in here? He lifted it off the ground, swiped the grass off the brim and slightly lifted his yellow sweatshirt to attach it to his belt. It didn’t look like it would stay on his head in the first place; the guy had way too much hair to be wearing a hat. Cronus sighed, wanting to somehow break the silence and make sure he wouldn’t go blabbing away to a teacher about him smoking.

“You shouldn’t be doing that.” said Mituna, suddenly breaking the silence between them.

Who does he think he is lecturing me, thought Cronus to himself. At least he gave him some sort of foundation to start with. Starting a conversation with someone you don’t know and might possibly have homicidal tendencies wasn’t really his forte.

“Doing what?” he asked with false innocence, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Mituna looked at him, completely unfazed by his question and glanced at the hand Cronus was holding a cigarette in.

Cronus scoffed and took another drag, completely ignoring the other teen’s frown beginning to form. Like hell he’s going to listen to some smartass, that probably can’t have a decent conversation without throwing a fit like some child.

“You shouldn’t be here anyway. You’ll get in trouble.”

Automatically, Cronus assumed the possibility of getting caught with the likes of him might be too much to bear for Mituna and he’d scamper off to his delusional girlfriend with his tail between his legs. But to his upmost surprise, Mituna’s reaction was the polar opposite of what he’d expect. He thought that if he wouldn’t walk away, then he’d get angry enough to want to start a fist fight, but neither one of those scenarios took place in reality. Instead, Mituna chuckled and sat down on the grass on the other side of the circle and leaned against the brick wall.

“You can get in trouble too, you know.”

What is this guy up to? Does he think this is some kind of game of back and forth? Gosh, it was as if Cronus was having a conversation with his little brother. On the contrary, he could have a more mind stimulating conversation with Eridan, than with this guy. Cronus took another drag and dropped the ash on the patch of dirt between his feet. If he wasn’t going to leave, then he might as well whip out the girlfriend card.

“Won’t Latula be looking for you?”

Cronus realized that saying her name might stir up some negative vibes and Mituna would decide to continue their argument from yesterday, but he remained oddly composed. Nothing seemed to be getting any reaction from him. Cronus wondered if maybe he was taking some meds and won’t be getting pissed any time soon.  
Mituna shook his head and plucked the petals from a daisy that was growing by the wall.

“She won’t.”

That was a vague answer, but Cronus felt brave enough to be more intrusive with his questions and maybe he might get him to leave that way.  
“Why?”

Mituna dropped the now empty stem, stripped from its ivory petals and managed to find another flower to silently torture.  
“This is the only time I get to be alone.”

Great. Not only is he showing no desire to leave, but he’ll have to be stuck with him for the rest of the lunch break. No thanks.

Grinding his teeth, Cronus realized his spot had been compromised and didn’t want to wait any longer to get Mituna to leave, so he simply chose to be the one to go instead. He dropped his cigarette in the dirt, stood up and crushed it with his shoe while shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.  
“If that’s the case, I’ll actually go so you can be alone.”

Cronus breathed in again, as Mituna didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so he turned to walk past the delicate brush into the field when the shaggy, haired teen decided to raise his voice.

“Listen.” he started while still staring down at the grass in his fingers. “I’m sorry I lashed out at you. I hope you didn’t take it personally or anything. I don’t have all my marbles intact if you catch my drift.”

What and odd thing to say, Cronus thought to himself and even more at how abnormal his apology had just sounded. Better than nothing, he assumed. Cronus sighed and shrugged his arms.  
“So I’ve noticed.”

That’s when Mituna looked up with an oddly solemn expression, as if he really felt sorry for how he reacted and honestly wanted Cronus to forgive him. He had to admit, that if it was all an act then he would be a perfect candidate for an Oscar. He wouldn’t hazard a guess that Mituna wasn’t all there upstairs, but considering he was in an accident it was most likely not his fault he was the way he was.  
“No hard feelings?”

The way he was staring at him so intently was honestly slightly unsettling in Cronus’ opinion. His dual colored irises were quite abnormal and intimidating in a way and Cronus found himself avoiding eye contact. He figured that if Mituna was being honest and truly didn’t mean to react the way he did and would have done better if he was in a better state, then there was no reason to hold a grudge. After all, he wasn’t a child. He wouldn’t go around acting sour all because a crazy person yelled at him for illogical reasons.

“None at all. We’re good.”

He smiled at what seemed at himself and plucked the remaining leaves from a small weed he pulled from the grass. Cronus wasn’t sure if this was his cue to leave or not, but since there was nothing between them anymore then he might as well just save himself the embarrassment of him being seen with the kid and leave. Yet again, before he could react Mituna was suddenly standing up from the grass and brushing the petals from his pants. He approached the mildly confused teen and held out his hand with a cheerful smile on his freckled face.

“I’m Mituna. Mituna Captor.”

For a second Cronus felt slightly bewildered by the change of events and instinctively wanted to turn around and leave, but it seemed like Mituna wanted to have a fresh start with him. This better not turn into some ridiculous, cheesy friendship or I will end myself, he thought. Cronus nodded his head, both eyebrows raised towards the sky and he slowly reached out his hand to comply with Mituna’s friendly gesture.

“Cronus Ampora”

Mituna smiled widely, revealing two rows of slightly uneven teeth, but oddly enough they added a certain charm to his freckled face. His sudden burst of excitement, which completely lit up his face, left Cronus slightly astounded. Did he really get that happy about a handshake? How odd, he thought.

“I hope we can get along.”

It felt like they were exchanging that handshake for ages and they couldn’t tear their eyes away from each other. Mituna looked up at him with what seemed like admiration and Cronus couldn’t brush off his confusion and incredulity. There was something odd in Mituna’s dual colored orbs. His very enticing and startlingly beautiful eyes, which felt like they were swallowing his existence the longer he gazed into those irises. Cronus wasn’t ignorant about one certain fact; this peculiar boy was alluring in his own way. He didn’t have a very typical, generic face; it was quite exotic in a certain way. If it wasn’t the numerous freckles on his olive skin, then it was the small, almost invisible scars on his chin and nose. And to add to his charm, he had voluminous curly hair. But not like an afro. His curls were still tame in comparison to that hairstyle. It was tasteful and ideal for his round facial shape. Before their exchange could drag on any longer, the bell rang, obnoxiously loud inside the halls of the school and it’s like the spell had broken. Mituna’s hand slipped out of Cronus’ and he bid him farewell before he disappeared behind the bushes. Cronus took his lead as well, taking note of how warm and heavy his hand felt as if it fell asleep. His mind had completely veered off course and when he sat down in his chair he almost didn’t feel someone poking his arm.

“Where did you go during lunch? You missed the gossip.” said Porrim tossing her thick, black hair behind her shoulder before she reached down to pull out her binder from her red bag.

She didn’t seem angry, nor was she annoyed in any way. Maybe there was note of concern in her voice, but it was probably more about satisfying her craving to spread the new gossip.

“Nowhere really.” he wouldn’t dare about exposing his spot or the fact that he ran into Mituna again.

She gave him a quick side look and clicked her tongue, before reaching inside her vest pocket and pulled out a blue phone. Cronus’ eyes went wide. He completely forgot to take his phone from the lunch table before he stormed off. Good thing he doesn’t keep anything personal on it, or else he would be in it deep. Porrim didn’t look suspicious, for she most certainly looked at his inbox to see if there was anything worth talking about and obviously found nothing. Maybe she was just a bit disappointed.

“Next time, make sure you don’t leave your phone for someone to steal.” she said and placed the device in front of his nose.

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

“Yes, you do. I forgot my chemistry textbook, so I expect you to borrow me yours.”

He rolled his eyes at the frowning girl and dipped his hand into his backpack to be greeted with absolutely nothing. He ran a hand down his face and groaned.  
“You don’t have it either do you.”

Usually, it was always the other way around. Porrim was a pretty good student, regardless of how she dressed or how much makeup she wore. She was a very ambitious girl, like everyone in her family for that matter. They came from a long line of artists and musicians, so naturally Porrim was gifted with both. Ever since she was a little girl, she would sow and draw various designs of dressed and gowns she wanted to wear as a grown up and it stuck to her ever since. Therefore, her biggest goal was to be accepted into the most prestigious fashion school in the country. And because she studied so hard, all day every day to get accepted, Cronus was surprised she didn’t have her textbook. When she noticed his reaction, panic flashed through her system and she feverishly glanced over the other students’ heads to see if the teacher had arrived.

“Go borrow one from the library and get a move on! The teacher isn’t here yet, so we still have a chance.”

More like you do, thought Cronus, for he didn’t care about getting straight A’s for that matter. But for the sake of calming her down and getting even for her saving his phone he got up from the chair and ran out of the classroom. 

Thankfully, the library was just down the hall on the same floor, so no trek was required. Not to mention, their old, little chemistry professor liked to chat away with other teachers, so he knew he was safe no matter how much time he took. He swung the door open, slightly panting, and was immediately greeted with the stereotypical “shh” from the cranky librarian from behind the desk. When the smell of old books and cheap air freshener, Cronus wrinkled his nose and remembered why he never set foot in the library. For such a huge room, the smell lingered everywhere and it was horrendous. There were just a few students seated on the other side of the room by the old desks and the librarian was tending to her old collectives as usual. Cronus never liked the library for as long as he could remember. To him silence was more deafening than a heavy metal concert. For a time he couldn’t even fall asleep without any white noise in the background of him room. And to sit in a library for hours on end without being able to listen to music or sigh for that matter was the worst. Silence forced upon him was one of his various pet peeves. 

Cronus made his way towards the back of the library where the chemistry section was marked by a large, vivid sign next to bookshelves. He traced his fingers over the many spines of the hardcover textbooks, till he managed to find the familiar blue and yellow cover. Feeling triumphant that he managed to find it less than five minutes he was about to head over to the librarian when he noticed a dim, yellow light coming from the far end of the shelves. Cronus was surprised to see that there was a hidden room, concealed by the many bookshelves. Since it had already piqued his curiosity, he tiptoed over the half open door and peered inside. There was a figure concealed in the darkness of the room and they seemed to be fixated on the piece of paper in their hands. To closer inspection, Cronus recognized the many colored pencils and crayons spread about on the dark, brown desk, which made him raise an eyebrow in amusement. What kind of high school student still carries around colored pencils? There were many sheets of paper scattered on the floor by the strangers feet, incomplete or vigorously crossed out with a black marker. The figure suddenly let out a loud sigh and lifted their head to look up at the ceiling. Cronus almost fell backwards into the book shelve from surprise. The curly hair and yellow sweater were all too familiar to him. What was Mituna doing here? Shouldn’t he be in class? Cronus thought. He furrowed his eyebrows and accidentally touched the door making it creak from the sudden contact. Mituna sharply lowered his head and looked at the direction of the door, but by then Cronus was long gone. If Cronus was to say he almost experienced a heart attack, then that moment would’ve been it. He ran to the front desk as fast as he could, just in case Mituna would have decided to follow him. He ran so fast he almost completely dismissed the librarian calling his name and charged out the door with the chemistry book in hand.

Cronus quickly backed away before Mituna could see him and ran out of the library. He didn’t understand why he reacted in such a way. It was not only odd to anyone passing by the halls, but to him as well. It’s like a lightning bolt had struck his body, causing it to react on reflex like a frightened animal. He wasn’t thinking at all, he simply complied with his body’s sudden urge to flee and not look back. Such a reaction would be completely understandable if he was running away from something honestly dangerous. But it was just Mituna and he was by himself. What was wrong with Cronus’ mind?  
He paused in front of the door, panting heavily and turned the handle to walk inside while the teacher was taking attendance and frowned at his tardiness. Porrim didn’t seem too happy as well, with one hand below her chin and the other grazing her long nails against the desk’s surface. 

“What took you so long?” she asked in an angry, hushed voice. “So much for you owing me, he already noticed that I didn’t have a textbook.”

Cronus waved a hand at the girl, pressing a hand against his forehead and took deep breath to calm down his heart rate. He was still panting, very slightly and Porrim took note of his exhaustion.   
“What’s got you so out of it?” she said, opening her notebook and beginning to take notes from the board.

Of course, Cronus wasn’t going to spoil the fact that Mituna was probably privately tutored in the library, for spreading the rumor everywhere means that it would eventually get to the jocks that would want to pick a fight with the guy. Not that he cared or anything. It would cause an unnecessary commotion and that would just cause a headache.

“I tried to get here as fast as I could, but you know how the librarian gets. Breath out once and prepare for an hour-long monologue about why the library is meant to be treated like a sacred palace, or whatever.”

Porrim didn’t seem convinced. She went to the library all the time and the woman never gave her any problems. But then again, she wasn’t Cronus and all the teachers weren’t necessarily fond of him and his ways. Regardless, she huffed and snatched the book from his desk.

“You could’ve gotten it faster is all I’m staying. It’s like you were temporarily sucked into the void.”

She ceased her chatter after that statement, engulfing herself into the world of science and chemistry. Because didn’t Cronus have the proper material with him, he simply sat in his chair either doodling or quietly listening to music on his CD player.  
Yes, he still carried around a CD player. It was the 21st century, where smart phones and portable tablets were everything to the average teenager. But he refused to give into anything that was modern or thinner than a piece of paper. In that aspect, he was a bit old fashioned. He was passionate about 50s greaser fashion, the 90s and antique cars and motorcycles. Cronus preferred to be stuck in the past; his childhood and the years when his mother was his age, convinced she was born in the wrong century like he was. By sticking to things that she would have used herself, it made him feel comfortable, safe and gave him a sense of reassurance. As if she was still there.   
He popped open the silver disk and slipped inside an old Joy Division record, before stealthily slipping on his old-school headphones. The deep, powerful voice of Ian Curtis filled his ears with unknown nostalgia and kept him in a silent daze, till the school bell screamed loud enough for him to hear. “Wilderness” bleared through his headphones as he walked down the hall feeling like a 80s kid in a punk-rock music video. It was already past midday and everyone was either rushing to the next class or trying to exit school grounds as fast as possible. He was on his way to retrieve his motorcycle, pulling out his helmet from his open backpack when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Slipping off his headphones, he looked down and noticed the familiar braids and pink glasses frames. The intruder looked up at him and smiled widely. 

“Care to take me home on your magnificent steed?”

Her sudden appearance wasn’t a surprise to him. Ever since they started dating, Meenah became unbearably clingy at times and it drove him insane. This wasn’t how she used to be. Meenah was always a hard chick, ever since she was a little girl. She never allowed herself to be anyone’s plaything, nor did she ever take shit from anybody. She was untamable, like a wild mustang, but she had one, dangerous flaw that made her imperfect and that was her gullibility. Show her love, give her everything she ever desired, tell her everyday that she’s beautiful and never leave her alone in the dark. And that is how you break Meenah Pixies. She was a woman after all and women were Cronus’ specialty.  
The only reason Cronus agreed to go out with her, was because he hoped that she would stay raw and unforgiving, no matter what. That was what he liked about her. She was dominant and that’s what he liked in his women. But every day, she grew softer and softer and he was getting sick of looking at the hearts in her eyes.  
He needed to get her off his back. 

Cronus wriggled out of her grip with a forced smile and sat down on his motorcycle.

“Sorry, doll. I don’t have an extra helmet.” he said and shrugged a little bit too casually.

Meenah nodded her head and hummed, dragging her tongue against the grill on her upper, front teeth, then smiled again, but this time pulled out a silver helmet from behind her back looking excited like a small child.

“I saw it in Kurloz’ garage and I thought of you. He fixed it for me and said I could keep it for as long as I want!” she exclaimed, already fastening the object on her head.  
Obviously, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not only was she gullible when in love, but stubborn and easily offended. Cronus had no choice but to let her on and hope she doesn’t try to pull him into her house by force.

“Well isn’t that great. Hop on then.”

With hesitation, the girl hopped onto the back of Cronus’ bike and he started the engine with full force, roaring loudly into the air and letting out a pull of smoke. Meenah pressed her chest against his back and snaked her hands around his waist. There was a tinge on seduction in that single movement, which Cronus picked up on almost instantly and it made his stomach churn and not in a good way. He gritted his teeth and flipped down the visor, before energetically driving out into the open road.  
The entire drive they both remained silent, but then again they wouldn’t be able to hear each other with the loud noise coming from the vehicle. Cronus focused more on the road in front of him and wind blowing past them, as he accelerated. If it wasn’t music, which served as his inanimate therapist, then it was a short drive around town, enough for him to let out some steam. After a few seconds, he had forgotten all about Meenah and all that existed for him were his motorcycle and the ground beneath the wheels.   
Once they arrived at their destination, Meenah jumped off the seat with a giggle and took off the helmet with a look of triumph on her face. Cronus was going to say goodbye and drive off, but she approached him and placed her hands around his neck before he could make a move. He stiffened in her embrace, as they were parked outside her house and it was most likely that her parents were home. Meenah’s folks were very religious people; strict in their nature and were raised in the church, just like they did with their own children. So the fact that Meenah snuck out at night, drank inhumane amounts of alcohol and dated the typical bad boy types was a side of her they were not aware of. Before leaving to school she would dress like a preppy school girl, in order to stay on their good side, but as soon as she left for the bus stop, she’d change into her everyday getup at the nearest gas station.

Cronus had met her parents once before, which was a meeting by accident and wasn’t meant to happen. Meenah managed to turn it around, saying Cronus needed help with homework and she was volunteering to help delinquents get their grades up. Meenah’s mother did not buy it; she immediately told him to get out of their house before he taints everyone else around him. It was amusing in a way and incredibly annoying.

When Meenah brushed her fingers against the hair at his neck, she smiled coyly.  
“My parents won’t be home till 9. They have a bible reading at the church.” she leaned down to kiss him on the neck. “Want to come in?”

Any man would jump to the occasion, but Cronus wasn’t one of those guys. He was tired, exhausted and annoyed at Meenah’s constant pleas and attempts at flirting. She was losing her touch, getting messy and needy. Just the numerous kisses she left on his lips.

Cronus turned away from his lips and shrugged her off, then swiftly put on his helmet.  
“I can’t today. Eridan needs to be picked up from school and stuff.”

He could almost hear her frown. Her grip on his jacket was finally released and she stepped away onto the sidewalk.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” she said in an alarmingly casual tone.

Cronus looked back to see she was already walking away towards the driveway and felt in his bones that was the begging of the end of their relationship. She never glanced back at him like she always did, before disappearing through the doors of her house. It was a cold goodbye, without any apologies, feeling or questions. She would protest every time Cronus told her no. This time she didn’t even bat an eye. It’s like she knew. Cronus felt relief, but a tinge of regret. But he knew it was better this way. They got used to each other and the magic vanished, they both knew it was over.

Before he departed, Cronus remembered he needed to stop buy the grocery store for some ingredients. They’ve been living off of pizza for the last few days and Cronus was getting sick of it. Eridan was a growing child after all and needed to eat healthy, solid food. Thankfully, no matter what he ate or how much of it, Cronus couldn’t gain weight. Maybe it was his height and the food went straight into his arms and legs. Regardless, they needed to eat more fruits and vegetables.  
The store wasn’t a long ride, but Cronus cursed himself that he didn’t take a car. After making his purchases, he shoved all of the food in his backpack, and headed out into the parking lot. He reached into his pocket for the keys, when he heard loud yelling from around the corner of the store. It wasn’t a very big store, so the words coming from the angry individual were quite clear and prominent. Cronus almost instantly recognized the person’s voice. He put the keys back into his pocket and walked over to the edge to listen into the conversation. Cronus wasn’t sure what compelled him to be so nosy all of a sudden, but he felt to urge to find out what was making Mituna so upset. Through the corner of his eye, he noticed Mituna by a stack of crates and Latula, who seemed like she was in deep distress. Her hands were trembling and she was trying to hold Mituna’s hands as he kept ripping them out of her grasp.

“How could you be so ignorant, Tulip?! You know much this means to me! I can’t believe you wouldn’t let me indulge in just one thing that makes me happy!”

Latula was almost on the verge of crying, trying to calm him down by speaking slowly and calmly, but that only seemed to fuel her boyfriend’s anger. Cronus was honestly surprised at how fragile and frightened she looked, compared to how cool and composed she was the first time they had met. She looked like the sort of person, who would never let her feelings get to her. 

“Mituna, baby, you can’t drink that stuff anymore. It’s not good for you.”

“What are you my mother?! I don’t care if it’s good for me or not!”

Latula’s entire body trembled when she raised her voice.

“I may not be your mother, but I’m your girlfriend! In fact, I’m the only person in this world that gives a damn about you and without me you wouldn’t have anyone!”  
Mituna stood there, completely stunned by Latula’s words. He wasn’t angry or upset. It was feeling very deep in-between. They both stood there staring at each other. Latula was already sobbing and clutching her hands, so tightly you could see the white of her knuckles. It almost looked like was anticipating a blow from Mituna’s hand. Instead, he leaned down and took her into his embrace.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” she cried, her sobs muffled by his yellow sweater. “I love you so much.”

But he couldn’t say a word. No “I’m sorry” or “I love you” left his lips. All he did was hold her tight and look up into the sky with blurry vision.  
Cronus frowned and quickly turned away before he could witness anymore of their intimacy. It felt so wrong that he was there. He shouldn’t have been there from the beginning. He wished he could erase it all from his mind. Latula’s words felt so familiar to him and they shook him to his core. It was all so wrong; how could he give into his curiosity? It wasn’t just that, he was being nosy and intrusive and wished he could pour bleach into his skull and cleanse his brain of everything he had heard.  
He felt like he was overreacting. Anyone would have wanted to see what was going on. What if someone was being attacked? He would’ve preformed a public service. It was an accident that he walked into the couple. He shouldn’t beat himself up over it, it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t do anything wrong. But all Cronus needed was to get back on his bike and forget about his day. He left the store behind, with everything he heard and seen.

By the time he got home, Eridan was already there waiting for him, courtesy of Mrs. Paint. The boy’s eyes lit up the moment he saw his big brother walk through the door with two bags of groceries in his hands. He quickly jumped of the chair ad ran up to Cronus grabbing onto one of the bags in an attempt to help his dear sibling.

“Let me take care of that, chief. What have you been up to?”

Eridan squealed with excitement with the mention of his day and ran over to the small project he had been working on before Cronus arrived. He stood on his toes to pull the sheet of paper of the table and held it as high as he could for Cronus to see. I was very colorful and fantasy-like. There were two characters sitting below a large purple tree, hidden from the yellow sun that was shining intensely with two rows of white teeth in a wide smile. It was charming and heartwarming that Eridan drew such a lovely piece of art for the both of them to share. Cronus gently and carefully took the paper from Eridan’s hands, as if he was handling a very sacred painting and marveled at its creativity.

“Now this belongs in the Louvre, little man.”

Eridan was very much familiar with the art gallery, thanks to the many books Cronus got him from the library. His hands were pressed against mouth in silent excitement and pointed towards the living room.

“Can we put it there?”

“I don’t see why not.”

They went over to living room and spotted the perfect place to hang up the drawing. It was only the two of them in house after all, so Cronus was sure that his father wouldn’t say anything if one night he came home and saw Eridan’s drawing on the wall. He dug out a small picture frame from the closet and even though it was a little too big, it honestly didn’t matter. Eridan stood with an everlasting smile while Cronus nailed the frame to the wall then stood back to look at the drawing in all its glory. 

“Thanks, Cro.”

Cronus smiled down at his brother then glanced at the clock in the kitchen. It was soon going to be dinner time and Eridan will certainly be hungry by then. While Eridan went back to the table to draw some more, Cronus started unpacking the food from the bags. Of course, as the older sibling he was responsible for his little brother, since he knew their father wasn’t going to come home any time soon.


End file.
